


A Brief Overview of Assassinos and their Coevolution with Humans

by JustaBluebird



Series: Biology and Ethology [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Assassin's Creed, Daredevil (TV), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate History, Dehumanization, Endangered Species, Worldbuilding, scientific study
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-05-31 08:43:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6463492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustaBluebird/pseuds/JustaBluebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This overview is a simplified text based off current theory, human records, and artifacts relating to this secretive species. There is still much mystery surrounding <em>Homo tutelar</em>, including group behavior, breeding habits, and cultural history."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coevolution

In prehistoric times _Homo tutelar_ , more commonly known as assassino, were more of an aloof species to humans, more focused on protecting their own pups and mates. Hunter-gathers in nature, they Fights for territory were brutal and numerous, as they were hunter-gathers, and the most bountiful land shifted with prey migrations. 

In roughly 11,000 BCE, humans developed both culturally and agriculturally. With the invention of farming and domestication techniques, humans no longer needed to be hunter gatherers and built more permanent settlements. Culturally, humans started symbolizing assassinos as protectors, warriors, and guardians of family. Artifacts show evidence that humans began to give offering of food to assassinos in order for the offerer to gain those traits for themselves, similar to the way one might prey to a war god for strength in battle. Overtime, assassinos started making nests in the places they were fed and became more sedentary. 

With the food the assassinos were offered from the humans they didn't need to follow prey migrations, and the assassinos could gather from the land surrounding the human villages surrounding whatever food they still needed. Soon, the sites where the assassinos were fed and nesting became religious and holy sites, and humans built their villages around them. Eventually, assassinos started to think of humans as something valuable that needed to be protected, and started treating the villages as their territory. When anything threatens the village, from wild bears to other humans, the assassinos responded fast and brutal,the same way they dealt with challenges to territory and threats to their pups in prehistoric times. This development only solidified the symbolism of assassinos with protectors and led to more offerings of food, further strengthening the assassinos ties to the human village. Humans, free of the need to spend energy and time defending themselves, were able to focus more on architectural, technological, and cultural advances.

In this way humans and assassinos developed a strong symbiotic relationship.

However there is a few other differences between the two species. Humans, in general, have much more children, possibly due to a human's ability to be fertile year long compared to assassinos periodic heats, and humans will often raise more than one child at once, a trait much rarer in assassinos. In addition, assassinos have a much higher mortality rate than the average human, mostly due to their instinct to drive threats out of their territory regardless of the danger to themselves. For these reasons, human societies grew at a much higher rate than assassinos and eventually dwarfed their protector species. The assassino, now greatly outnumbered, began to develop to blend in more with their human counterparts as a method of protective camouflage.

Humans, who needed more and more land to keep up with their growing numbers, began to spread till multiple villages wanted claim over the same land. The assassinos, who did not need a larger territory and perhaps were still overwhelmed with the ones they already had, did nothing about this. By roughly 6,000 BCE humans began to develop weapons such as bows, pol-axes, and knives, to attack each other and conquer each other's land. Assassinos responded as defenders, protecting their territory (a human village) from invading human armies. Several sub breeds of assassinos started to develop during this time, most notably the sagittariis, or archer, sub breed which is still exists today. 

The latin name _tutelar_ means guardian and protector of a particular place or person, and is directly related to the tutelary deities in roman mythology. Despite their dwindling numbers from human conflicts, Homo tutelar were still worshiped in cultures around the world. From ancient Greek sculptures of tutelar displayed alongside gods, such as Athena, to deceased tutelar deified as Chenghuangshen, or “city-gods”, in China. For a specific example from mythology, Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers from Rome's formation myths, were said to have been nursed by a tutelar after they had been abandoned. 

The Crusades saw not only only the deaths of numerous humans, but the pointed hunting of assassinos as well. Assassinos as guardian “spirits” were seen to be both religious in nature and symbolic of resistance, as well as dangerous adversaries, so bounties spread for the successful killing of one by invading forces. The tutelar concept of “hide in plain sight”, while not originating, was thoroughly documented by humans during this time. Assassino would commonly blend in so they could move through their own conquered cities without conflict and stealthily kill the invading forces.

Masyaf, the iconic assassino nest most often referenced by books and cultural studies, was destroyed during the Third Crusade, the few surviving assassinos scattering and fleeing the area. It was also during this time the species modern common name, assassino, came into common vernacular. Literally meaning “assassin” in Italian, the name was most likely coined by Italian soldiers after witnessing the species silent and efficient killing methods during the Crusades. When the soldiers returned to Europe and told stories of what they had seen the name gained popularity. 

The invention of guns devastated the remaining small assassino populations. Suddenly there was a way that any human, regardless of training, could critically injure an assassino. Those that survived getting shot had an incredibly high chance of bleeding out hours later in their nests or their wounds becoming infected and dying. 

Today, assassinos are classified as a critically endangered species. Very few remain in the wild, in fact, during the early 1900’s they were believed to have gone extinct. The ones that remain face the threat of poaching, especially the theft of pups still too young to leave the nest. In general, assassinos are scavengers in nature, eating whatever they find or is given to them, which presents a problem in modern cities. Food offerings are often left by conservationists near identified assassino nests, but unidentified assassino are reliant on what food they can find abandoned and mooching off of humans while in disguise. In addition, their ability to hide in plain sight makes it even more difficult for conservationists to properly spot _Homo tutelar_ in the wild, sometimes leading to members of this species being prosecuted by police as though they are human. Without constant devoted conservation efforts, _Homo tutelar_ will die out causing the loss of this unique, valuable, and culturally significant species forever.


	2. Sexual Development and Identification

_Homo tutelar_ , more commonly referred to as assassino, have two sexes: Alpha and Omega. Externally, it can be extremely difficult, if not impossible to identify between the sexes by eye. All _Homo tutelar_ , from a human's perspective, appear masculine.

The only exception to this is pregnant omegas, whose stomachs will expand to support the growing child, as well as their chest slightly expanding into breasts for nursing. These changes are temporary however, and will revert back once the child is weaned.

To properly explain alpha and omega development, it is useful to know a bit about human male and female development.

In the womb, humans begin their sexual development as undifferentiated zygotes. That is, the beginning development of both male and female sexual organs are the same. After approximately 6 to 7 weeks male fetuses begin to express their Y chromosome, and by 9 weeks the testosterone produced results in the masculinization of their reproductive organs. If testosterone is not introduced by this time, then the fetus will continue developing into a female.

Hermaphroditism in humans, the development of both male and female sexual organs, does occur, but it is rare and only one set of sexual organs is reproductively viable. (A human hermaphrodite, for example, cannot impregnate themselves.)

_Homo tutelar_ alphas and omegas are perhaps best described as hermaphrodites. Though Homo tutelar have a similar gestation length to humans, their sexual differentiation in the womb begins much later. Therefore, both genders have partial development of the others sexual organs. In omegas this expresses itself in the presence of a penis and testes, though both are slightly smaller than an alphas and the penis is missing its iconic spongy knot at the base. Omegas also do not produce sperm and will instead ejaculate pre-cum. In alphas, there is a small vaginal opening behind the testes, though the corresponding womb and ovaries are missing. It should be clear that though alphas have a vaginal opening, it is not as developed as an omegas, and will not stretch as easily nor produce slick the way an omegas does.

Carefully observing an assassino's sexual organs can lead to a successful identification, but this method is not practical in the field. A much more common method is through scent.

Alphas and omegas have glands on their necks, wrists, and genitals that give off a distinct odor. In general, and alpha scents smells more “earthy” while an omega scents are more “fishy” or “sweet” smelling. _Homo tutelar_ have a much keener sense of smell than humans and are able to identify others of their kind from a distance, including their genders and if they are in heat. It is possible for a human to scent an assassino, but the human would have to be very close to them, usually within arms reach, which is difficult to do because of the species elusive nature.

It is also possible gain a sample of an assassino's scent for identification. Collecting bedding from their nest, their clothing, or weapons that they handle a lot without gloves are good examples.

Proper sexual identification is key for conservation efforts. It is necessary for the encouragement of new breeding pairs, avoiding potential territory disputes during reintroduction, and in the case of scent identification can even be used to track heat cycles. With careful attention to and understanding of sexual identification, we will be one step closer to saving this fascinating species.


	3. Wild Nation - Season 2 Episode 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place in the middle of Biology and Ethology. Hood in charge of Starling City, Devil has yet to make his debut in Hell's Kitchen, and Arsenal is a growing pup.

“I’m Jack Russel and your on Wild Nation!” The man grinned, tipped his safari hat, and gestured to the cramped street behind him. 

“City nights may seem like a strange place for me and the crew to explore, but as the neon signs turn on an extremely rare and elusive animal starts to roam the rooftops of Starling City. That’s right! I'm talking about the assassino. With known numbers in the US low enough you can count them on your fingers, this critically endangered species usually only shows themselves to dangerous criminals, and when they do, they certainly ruin that person's day. “

“Now here in Starling City, there was a pup born about eleven years ago, and we heard that the pup has started leaving the nest to explore and learn with its bearer. Hopefully we’ll get a good look at these really amazing creatures, and who knows, maybe a close encounter too! Let's go!” Jack skipped back a step and started to walk away, his eyes and smile never leaving the camera. The video shook as the cameraman began to follow. 

\------------------------------------

“Ok! So we are on top of the building now, and you can see” Jack gestured to the flat rooftops behind him. “That this is an ideal spot for running and jumping. These building are called...” The man paused, panting, and waved a finger at the camera. 

“Oh man” He looked up to the night sky, breathing heavy. 

“ You really need to be in shape to climb up here. These buildings are called row houses, which refers to the way they are built all in a row, many times sharing a wall on each side, or having tiny gaps between. This was a good way to get a lot of housing in a small area, as well as save some money, but row houses are now considered a fire hazard in many places so you usually only see them in more historic districts. But assassinos love this type of rooftop, and if you're lucky, you can see one run an entire block just leaping from roof to roof. ”

“The crew and I are going to move across these roofs and look for some evidence of assassinos traveling these paths, like scuff marks, foot prints, and arrows.”

\------------------------------------

The crew walked along a rooftop, the camera shaking slightly as Jack swept his flashlight across the ground in front of them. Suddenly, a blur of red ran past Jack, shoving him as it passed. Jack stumbled back and swung his flashlight around to follow the blur as it tried to kick jump up up a wall to a higher rooftop. The blur, a small figure in a red hoodie with a quiver on its back, scrambled at the top edge before falling back on its heels and scrunching up its nose at the offending obstacle, bearing its teeth.. Jack, shock still, turned his head to the camera with wide eyes. 

‘Do you see that?’ he mouthed. The camera man slowly moved next to Jack, trying not to spook their new guest. Jack started whispering. “That. Is a baby assassino. He’s got to be ten, eleven years old?”

“Eleven.” replied the camera man. 

“Right, I forgot. Wow, look at him.” The baby, seemingly content with the walls submission, began to tumble across the roof, placing his forearm down first before ducking his head to his chest and kicking off awkwardly with his feet. 

“This little guy” Jack continued “was named Arsenal by the local conservation group. If you notice, he's wearing a lot of red. This is the age when assassinos pick out a camouflage color to help them blend in when on the hunt. Once they pick out their color, they rarely change it, even if they move into an area where that color is no longer a good choice. It's almost like a fixation. But this red certainly matches all these brick buildings around here, as well as a lot of the trendy fashion on the street. You can imagine in a few years he’ll blend right in stalking prey and then suddenly-” Jack snapped out his arm in a fake strike. Arsenal quickly turned his head to watch him. “They pounce. Oh. I didn’t mean to startle him. Hey little guy.”

Arsenal got to his feet and slowly walked over to the pair. “Don’t move” whispered Jack as Arsenal got within arms reach. “we don’t want to give off any feeling like we are a threat.” Arsenal shifted his head back and forth as he looked at the flashlight.

“Any assassino is a wild predator in its own right, but a pup this young, there is no way that mama is not watching very, very, closely.”

“I can see him” whispered the cameraman.

“What?”

“On the next rooftop.”

Jack slowly turned his head back towards the higher rooftop as Arsenal crouched down and started pulling at the laces on his boots. Sure enough, the green clad form of Hood perched half in shadow on the same wall that Arsenal tried to climb, the bearers bow resting in one hand. 

Hood stared at them. 

Then Hood growled softly and Arsenal dropped the now undone laces and ran over to his bearer. Arsenal tried to climb the wall again, scrambling before Hood grabbed onto the back of his hoodie and pulling the pup up. Hood gave the pup a once over, looked one last time at the TV duo, and nudged Arsenal back into the shadows with him.

Jack let out a breath “That was. Amazing. I can’t believe that just happened.”

“Was that the most dangerous thing you have done?” asked the cameraman. 

“No, no... Assassinos are very protective of civilians, but get between any new mother, regardless of species, and their baby, and things can turn ugly really fast. Certainly got my heart pounding. What we did was the exactly right thing to do for assassinos though, stay calm and nonthreatening and they will just move on. A bear on the other hand-” Jack glanced back at the camera and smiled. “Well, you'll have to learn more about that in our next video. Wow! What an adventure! We’ll see you guys next week, same time, same channel, same Wild Nation! Jack looked at something behind the camera. He laughed. 

“I can’t believe he untied my boot!”


	4. Interview with Dr. Amori:  On Assissino Poaching

“When you have anything that is rare, people are going to see value in it.” The woman began. “Now you and me, we know that Assassino’s are most valuable then they are running free, happy and hunting in their own territory, but some other don’t realize this. They mistakenly think that they can own an Assassino, that they can possess them and apply the Assassino’s protective instinct solely to themselves. This is simply does not work.”. 

The interviewer, a young man in a light blue button down, scribbled something down in his notebook, eyes never leaving the woman. “What do you mean Dr. Amori?” 

“Please call me Hana” The woman smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear. “What I’m referring to is the practice of stealing pups from an Assassino’s nest. Poaching is a problem we face every day, and one of the reasons we try to keep such a close watch on any known Assassino’s. These poachers will sometimes try to steal the pup while the mother is out hunting, but many times the poacher kills the parent. This could be either due to misjudging if the bearer is home, to trying to” She frowned, “‘nip the problem in the bud’, so to speak, as a bearer will hunt down anyone who hurts their pup.”

“That’s horrible. Do they always kill the bearer?”

“Not always. Sometimes they will use overpowering scents to disorient the Assassino and move the pup somewhere obscure that the bearer would have great difficulty following. Another continent for example, or an island.”

“And do these poachers steal the pups for themselves?”

Hana shook her head. “Usually they are hired. Families with a large amount of money and a fantasy of Assassino personal protection.”

The interviewer tapped his pen. “You keep mentioning ‘fantasy’, that kidnapping pups does not work out. Can you tell me more about this?”

“It is a fantasy. Assassino instincts are not something you can manipulate, the same way you can not manipulate a Tiger into protecting you. If you are a civilian, a good person, and in their territory, they will protect you. If you aren’t, well they will not. Trying to… hand raise pups does not work. Even if they did attach to you emotionally, which they won’t if you're the sort of criminal who would steal a pup, they would not have the skills to protect you. Hunting, hiding, climbing, these are all things a bearer teaches their pup while they are being reared. A human can not teach them these things.”

Hana pushed up her glasses and continued. “On top of that, once they start coming into sexual maturity, puberty if you will, a Assassino pup will become rebellious. They want to move out of the nest, want to get their own territory, but don't have the training to understand their desire, or the skills to act on them properly. They lash out. Basically, you have a dangerous wild animal with no control training, with no particular emotional connection to you, inside your home. Near your children. Does that seem like a good idea to you?”

The interviews eyes widened “Oh, uh no. No it does not.”

Dr. Amori nodded. “People think they can control nature, but nature just is. In their natural environment Assassinos are some of the gentlest, sweetest creatures you could encounter, but taken away and you realize that there is a reason they are considered wild animals.”

“You have encountered wild Assassinos before in your work, correct?”

“Oh yes, though we try to keep face to face interactions to a minimum. We don’t want them getting too comfortable around humans, sadly there is too many people who wish them harm. Most of my work is in observation and rehabilitation.”

“For Assassinos that are injured?” 

“Yes, and also ones that captured by humans. We try to release every animal that passes through our doors, but sometimes the damage is too much and they never recover. We recently had one pup that was forced to work in a circus. This is highly illegal and led to him behaving very abnormally. We tried to rehabilitate and release him, but when his release did not work out we had to move him to a long term care facility.”

“Do you think he had been poached?”

“It’s possible. They could have gotten lucky and found an orphan, or just picked up a pup who had wandered and changed towns faster than the bearer could realize. We don’t know. What we do know is that keeping a pup, instead of calling a wildlife center, is against the law.” 

The young man noded and looked down at his notes. “Now, with many other animals, poachers will… take body parts from the animal. Does this happen with Assassinos?”

Hana sighed. “Yes. It does. Humans can be incredibly cruel and superstitious creatures. There are even people who will dig up human graves for bones. Assassinos, being such culturally significant animals, have been hunted for… irrational reasons. Protection charms, fake enhancement supplements, even their weapons are put on display as bloody trophies. Most things on the black market are fakes, it is easier to get human fingers than Assassinos after all, but it does not stop some criminals. Luckily adult Assassinos can mostly defend themselves, but us conservationists are here to protect them when they can’t.”

“Is there anything everyday people can do to help?”

She smiled. “The best thing you can do is be vigilant. If you see something suspicious, you can call the center's toll-free anonymous number to report it. And if you spot a Assassino in the wild, we would love to hear about that too. Keeping track of their movements helps us take better care for them. If you don’t live in an area with an Assassinos, or even if you do, you can also donate to the center to help cover medical cost and food.”

“I hear you can volunteer too.”

“Yes. We have volunteers that help with feeding and tracking, as well as internship positions”

“That sounds like fun! I think we are getting close to time, Hana, thank you for coming to talk to me today about Assassinos.”

“I’m just glad someone cares to listen.”


End file.
